LINGAYEN, Pangasinan – The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) has now a person of interest on the murder case of a village chief who was gunned down by riding-in-tandem suspects on the night of July 14.
In an interview on Friday, PPPO information officer Maj. Arturo Melchor Jr. said the provincial police command has formed a special investigation task group (SITG) that would look into all angles of the incident.
“We already have a person of interest and the SITG Abalos has been created to bring justice, and arrest the suspects behind this incident,” he said.
Frederick Abalos, chairman of Barangay Balococ, was shot several times while traversing a dike on his way home on board a tricycle at around 11:35 p.m. on Wednesday.
The tricycle driver was unscathed.
Abalos was brought to the Lingayen District Hospital but declared dead on arrival by the attending physician.
Melchor said all previous activities of the victim, whether personal or work-related, are being investigated.
Meanwhile, Mayor Leopoldo Bataoil strongly condemned the killing of Abalos.
“I urge the members of Lingayen Police Station and other law enforcement units to investigate thoroughly and bring to justice people who are responsible for this crime,” Bataoil said in a statement Thursday.
The shooting of Abalos is the third assassination involving a village official in the province this month.
On July 3, Eleseo Eslao, chairman of Barangay Talogtog in Laoac town, was shot dead by motorcycle-riding-in-tandem and on July 6, a village councilman of Barangay Tampac Aguilar town was also gunned down while riding his motorcycle. (PNA)
